Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-01-01

ultimate settlement of the controversy In
favor of the superior fertility, greater ex-
tent, and more attractive social and eli
matte advantages of the middle and north
ern portions Of the State.
SOME VERY SIGNIFICANT FIGURES AND
| FACTS.
Recurring again to the map, the readers
attention is called again to the line divid-
ing Northern and Southern California.
To-day the taxable property within the
State lying north of that line aggregates
SOB 494,S94. The aggregate value of
taxable property south of that line is
| $92, 49,, 800 1t has already been stated
that the rainfall south of that line is not
sufficient to mature crops, and that
all varieties of orchard-culture are de-
pendent wholly upon artificial irrigation.
| The irrigable area of land south of the line
does not exceed 100000 of acres, while
the area of already fertile and irrigable
land north of the line exceeds 30,000,0 600
of acres, more than halt of which is not de-
pendent upon irrigation for the proper de
velopment ofits fertility and productiveness
The present population south of the line
in question is about $4,000 The popula-
/
annual product of industry south Of the
line does not exceed S6000,000 Of the
| Sl00,000,000 which inures to the people of
the State of California by reason of their
agricultural, horticultural, and mining in
dustries Thus, orer 80 per cent Of all the
wedih produced IN This COMMUNICABLE today
must Be credited TO the northern and middle
| portions Of the State. And yet it remains
true that the said portions of the State
have not received anything approximating
their fair share of that immigration which
all the thinly populated portions of our
country are attracting. This has been due
| to variety Of causes, among which a few
viii be specified.
SOME PERTINENT REASONS STATED.
First-It may be stated that a region of
country wherein the lands are rewarding
their owners by satisfactory annual profit
will not as a general thing be upon the
market for sale. Where there is no gen
eral desire to sell the land holdings, there
viii be no consensus of action in the line
of advertising the climatic and other adj
vantages of that section, and the locality
thus kept in unobtrusive retirement viii be
overlooked and forgotten. The lands in
Central and Northern California did not
require vast expenditures Of money to give
them value. They were reasonably profita
bic to their owners, and still remain
so. The whole country, therefore, was
not upon the market. Land-owning
in Central and Northern California
had reference chiefly to the product of the
soil, whereas land-owning in Southern
California has been had with reference to a
| constant enhancement due to immigration
effort.
LARGE HOLDINGS OF FERTILE LANDS.
Second-The most fertile lands of
Northern and Middle California are owned
in large holdings. The idea that no man
can grow rich on 100 acres of land in this
State is one of the baneinl traditions de-
scended to US from early times, and largely
a legacy of that remnant of barbarism,
the grazing industry. 1t was fact, how
ever, that large holdings of fertile land
receiving an annual precipitation OF rain
/ fall sufficient TO mature crops of cereals
was more profitable, for economic reasons
which will not be introduced here. than
small holdings. Land holding, in short,
was profitable. The inhabitants OF Mid
/ die and Northern California had little con-
! ception of the use of land beyond the
/ agriculture Of the temperate zone. Horti-
/ culture in It's various branches has made
considerable progress, but Notwithstanding
! that progress, it remains true that 90 per
/ cent. Of the agriculture lands of California
are devoted to wheat-raising. There is u
! very narrow limit to the price which can
/ be afforded in the purchase of wheat
land. Hence the holder of large tracts of
land found it
I MORE PROFITABLE TO OWN THAN TO
SELL.
The purchaser could not pay him
price for twenty, forty, eighty or one hun
I bred and sixty acres Of land for wheat
raising, in excess of the value of that num-
/ Der Of acres TO himself combined into
large holdings The exact reverse of all
this was true in Southern California.
There the land was practically worthless,
except through development requiring a
( large expenditure of capital. The ex-
penditure once made, however, the land
Immediately acquired very high value,
and value chiefly in the direction of
small and diligent cultivation. Lands
1 worthless except for a value which re-
I quires an expenditure Of capital in their
/ development viii naturally rely upon the
| development to attract that capital The
money placed upon the land to produce its
value had TO be obtained from the land to
reimburse the capitalist The idea, there
fore, of investing the capital necessary to
produce the development, and breaking
the land into small holdings, in order to
obtain a very high rate, was a most natural
and feasible suggestion Thus Southern
/ California owes its development largely
to the original worthlessness of the region,
while Middle and Northern California owe
the Hardness Of their growth to an original
and natural high intrinsic value.
CITRUS FRUIT Production ~ CENTRAL
AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA.
Third-There has been an almost total
abstinence Of immigration literature and
immigration effort in the middle and
northern portions Of the State. The sec
ton has therefore not received an influx
of enterprising people There is marked
tendency of provincialism in any section.
/ of the country where there has been but
/ few newcomers. The community which
has not received an infusion of new blood
/ becomes more conservative year by year
1t Is not little surprising to find in the
Eastern States prevailing opinion that
citrus culture in California is confined ex-
/ clusively 10 Los Angeles and San Bernar-
dino counties. But it is still more sur
/ prising to find among the inhabitants of
! California itself a consenting opinion.
/ The recent Citrus Fair held at Sacramento
fully established the capacity of both Cen
! trail and Northern California for the pro-
Z dlrpfiop of ri+rr1s frI1it and the most 70
markable incident connected with the
! exhibition was the continued expressions
Of surprise on the part of old Californians
at the extent Of the exhibition and the IT.
resistible conclusion to which it pointed
that the very best oranges Of this State are
grown at Newcastle, Marysyille and Orc
Vile Reflection, however, will convince
I the reader that this evidence of the lack
Of knowledge of the resources of the State
should not surprise US. Grape-growing
/ passed through similar stage of doubt
and uncertainty AT the beginning there
were q few localities where grape culture